Research progress on autologous fat transplantation in the treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency

Autologous fat transplantation in the treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency has the advantages of good histocompatibility, small local trauma, few complications, reversible operation and simple postoperative nursing, which can effectively increase the velopharyngeal closure area. If the clinical effect is poor, other surgical methods can be used at any time for replacement. Although there are many advantages in the treatment of velopharyngeal insufficiency with autologous fat transplantation, there are still some problems in the selection of indication, donor site, injection dose, recipient site, follow-up evaluation, complications and prevention and treatment. Current research shows that autologous fat transplantation is mainly used in patients with mild or moderate velopharyngeal insufficiency, but with the improvement of fat acquisition and treatment techniques, the indications for autologous fat transplantation continue to expand, and autologous fat transplantation combined with palatoplasty or pharyngoplasty has been proposed for the treatment of severe velopharyngeal insufficiency. However, there are complications, such as fat absorption and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In addition, the application of autologous fat transplantation in severe VPI patients and how to improve the long-term stability of autologous fat transplantation need further study.